People,Places and Things

Tuesday

Smith was vying to become the first American winner since Brook Lee in 1997. From Tennessee, the journalism graduate carried a guitar and wore a white, Elvis-style suit during the opening parade of nations.

Fifteen finalists from a field of 77 contestants were announced early in the show. They were picked last week during preliminary judging in the contest’s swimsuit, evening gown and interview categories, but their names were not announced until last night, allowing all 77 to be introduced to the television audience.

As soon as the finalists had been named, they immediately strutted across the stage in animal-print bikinis for the swimsuit competition to the music of Mexican pop group RBD.

Then the top 10 were announced, including Mori and Smith. The others were Micaela Reis of Angola, Natalia Guimaraes of Brazil, Puja Gupta of India, Honey Lee of Korea, Rosa Maria Ojeda of Mexico, Xiomara Blandino of Nicaragua, Flaviana Matata of Tanzania and Ly Jonaitis of Venezuela.

Miss Korea was third runner-up, Miss Venezuela was second runner-up and Miss Brazil was first runner-up.

The winner travels the world for a year on behalf of charities and pageant sponsors.

LOS ANGELES — Charles Nelson Reilly, the Tony Award winner who later became known for his ribald appearances on the “Tonight Show” and various game shows, has died. He was 76.

Reilly died Friday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his partner, Patrick Hughes, told The New York Times.

Reilly began his career in New York City, appearing on Broadway in 1962 as Bud Frump in the original Broadway production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” The role won Reilly a Tony Award.

He was nominated for a Tony again for playing Cornelius in “Hello, Dolly!” In 1997 he received another nomination for directing Julie Harris and Charles Durning in a revival of “The Gin Game.”

After moving to Hollywood in 1960s he appeared as the nervous Claymore Gregg on TV’s “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” and as a featured guest on “The Dean Martin Show.”

He gained fame by becoming what he described as a “game show fixture” in the 1970s and ’80s. He was a regular on programs like “Match Game” and “Hollywood Squares,” often wearing giant glasses and colorful suits with ascots.

His larger-than-life persona and affinity for double-entendres also landed him on the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson more than 95 times.

NEW YORK — Struggling NBC is expected to oust its top entertainment executive, Kevin Reilly, and replace him with the man who helped bring “The Office” and “Ugly Betty” to American television, an executive close to the talks said yesterday.

Ben Silverman, a former talent agent who runs Reveille Productions, could be named to a new post overseeing NBC’s entertainment operations as early as today, said the executive, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because the action was still pending.

Reilly would be out after four years at NBC, despite signing a new three-year contract in February.

NBC recorded two of its least-watched weeks ever this spring, and it is a distant fourth in the ratings behind CBS, ABC and Fox. The adventure tale “Heroes” became a moderate hit for NBC, and Howie Mandel’s “Deal or No Deal” delivers consistently, but the rest of the schedule isn’t drawing an audience.

ROME — Barbra Streisand canceled her concert in Rome next month — a move that followed protests by Italian consumer groups angered by what they said were excessively high ticket prices.

Concert organizers indicated the decision was not connected to the outcry, saying that production delays had forced them to scrap the June 15 concert in the capital’s Stadio Flaminio, what would have been the singer’s first concert in Italy and the start of her European tour.

Last week, consumer groups Codacons and Adusbef protested as “absurd and shameful” ticket prices ranging from just under $200 to more than $1,200, calling on authorities to deny Streisand use of the 24,000-seat stadium.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.